Microdiscectomy questions

[Anonymous]

I would like to know if anyone has experience or knowledge of microdiscectomies? I've had a herniated disc at the bottom of my spine since late January and, after a long saga, have this operation scheduled for mid-July. My neurosurgeon's office has been ridiculously difficult to get a hold of for follow-up questions and my web searches haven't been much help either.

1) They've told me to expect to not be able to work for 1-2 months since it will be difficult to sit for long periods (I have an office desk job). Can anyone elaborate? Can I look toward part-time after a week or two? I'll also have the capability to work from home.
2) While sitting, if I shift 'wrong', I feel a popping sensation in my tailbone region and this causes excruciating pain in my back. Is this related to my herniated disc and will this operation cause it to stop?
3) Should I expect (additional) physical therapy after the surgery?
4) I've been taking Advil and Tylenol regularly since this started and received my 'pre-op' package saying to cease anti-inflamatories (Advil) and blood thinners for a week prior to the surgery. Will I need to stop Tylenol and Advil or just Advil?
5) Will I be able to go up and down stairs immediately after the operation? I live in a two-story house and want to know if I should plan on some nights on the ground floor?
6) Any other tips or words of wisdom anyone can offer are welcome. Thank you.

 

[Chad Sexington]

I am not a doctor. All my advice comes anecdotally from my mother having had the same surgery; I removed the questions I have no answer for, as my mother was not working at the time so she was able to rest at home as needed.

3) Should I expect (additional) physical therapy after the surgery?

Almost definitely

4) I've been taking Advil and Tylenol regularly since this started and received my 'pre-op' package saying to cease anti-inflamatories (Advil) and blood thinners for a week prior to the surgery. Will I need to stop Tylenol and Advil or just Advil?

Tylenol is not an anti-inflammatory, so you can probably keep taking it. Be careful with Tylenol, do not take more than the recommended dose, and don't drink alcohol while you're taking it.[/quote]

5) Will I be able to go up and down stairs immediately after the operation? I live in a two-story house and want to know if I should plan on some nights on the ground floor?

My mother really struggled with steps for a while, so anecdotally, I would say, yes, plan for some nights on the ground floor.

6) Any other tips or words of wisdom anyone can offer are welcome. Thank you.

Don't be too proud. Ask for help, whether from family/friends or strangers at the supermarket. My mom hates to 'be a bother' and pushed herself, making her recovery take much longer.

 

[Dave]

I would like to know if anyone has experience or knowledge of microdiscectomies? I've had a herniated disc at the bottom of my spine since late January and, after a long saga, have this operation scheduled for mid-July. My neurosurgeon's office has been ridiculously difficult to get a hold of for follow-up questions and my web searches haven't been much help either.

1) They've told me to expect to not be able to work for 1-2 months since it will be difficult to sit for long periods (I have an office desk job). Can anyone elaborate? Can I look toward part-time after a week or two? I'll also have the capability to work from home.
2) While sitting, if I shift 'wrong', I feel a popping sensation in my tailbone region and this causes excruciating pain in my back. Is this related to my herniated disc and will this operation cause it to stop?
3) Should I expect (additional) physical therapy after the surgery?
4) I've been taking Advil and Tylenol regularly since this started and received my 'pre-op' package saying to cease anti-inflamatories (Advil) and blood thinners for a week prior to the surgery. Will I need to stop Tylenol and Advil or just Advil?
5) Will I be able to go up and down stairs immediately after the operation? I live in a two-story house and want to know if I should plan on some nights on the ground floor?
6) Any other tips or words of wisdom anyone can offer are welcome. Thank you.

Each person heals differently, so these generalities don't always work, but they are fairly close for most people. If you have an office desk job, is it one where you can get up and walk around or are you effectively chained to your desk? If able to move around, you might be able to get away with 1/2 days or something like that fairly soon, but your bosses - AND YOU - would have to realize that to push it for the sake of your job is kinda dumb as it could cause you more complications down the road. It's a real tightrope walk between getting back to work and staying healthy, but your body will tell you if you are pushing it. Is there a chance you could get one of those chairs that require you to kneel instead of sitting? That might be a solution.

I don't know about the PT after this specifically, but I will ask my wife as she worked at a PT clinic and might have an idea.

Ask a pharmacist about the pills to be sure, but as Chad says (as does Drugs.com) that it is safe as long as you don't eat a whole bottle.

Listen to the Chad on this one. Set up a bed & stuff downstairs for a week or two. You may be able to get up & down the stairs after a while, but it's gonna be easier this way.

Cook a bunch of dinners now. Label them and put them in the freezer. Standing to cook is something you won't feel like doing. If you're married it will make this a bit earlier, but your spouse will appreciate the help as well as you are going to be out of it for a bit. If you do not have streaming Netflix and have the ability to do so on a computer or TV, PM me and I'll buy you Netflix streaming for a couple of months as a get-well present.

 

[Bubble181]

1) They've told me to expect to not be able to work for 1-2 months since it will be difficult to sit for long periods (I have an office desk job). Can anyone elaborate? Can I look toward part-time after a week or two? I'll also have the capability to work from home.
2) While sitting, if I shift 'wrong', I feel a popping sensation in my tailbone region and this causes excruciating pain in my back. Is this related to my herniated disc and will this operation cause it to stop?
3) Should I expect (additional) physical therapy after the surgery?
4) I've been taking Advil and Tylenol regularly since this started and received my 'pre-op' package saying to cease anti-inflamatories (Advil) and blood thinners for a week prior to the surgery. Will I need to stop Tylenol and Advil or just Advil?
5) Will I be able to go up and down stairs immediately after the operation? I live in a two-story house and want to know if I should plan on some nights on the ground floor?
6) Any other tips or words of wisdom anyone can offer are welcome. Thank you.

1) Depends on the exact type of surgery and how they're repairing/replacing it....But you can count on a few weeks of not working. Whether or not part-time will be possible fairly soon depends on your work conditions - if you can use a different chair, move about a bit, etc, possibly - if you're stuck in an office chair where clients can see you, so you have to look decent and sit up straight, without being able to move much - nope.
2) My guess would be "yes" and "hopefully". Mention it to your doctor.
3) Yes. If it's not supplied/paid for by insurance/however it works where you are, you'll either suffer more or need to pay for it yourself. You probably *can* go on without, but proper extra PT and relearning specific muscle movements and such is very important. Because of the hernia, you're more than likely using certain muscles "wrong" and putting undue stress on some parts of your lower back and/or stomach muscles. You have to "unlearn" bad behaviour and posture, which is much easier with at least some professional care.
4) No clue, since medication names and such differ here, but since the other two say it's no problem, it's probably no problem. Ask the pharmacist or doctor.
5) "immediately"? Nope. "Two days after"? Probably still nope. Again, it depends on the severity of the operation, which disc, etc, but even if you *could* force yourself up the stairs (sitting down and backwards, or whatever) it's probably not a good idea. Expect it to *hurt* for quite a while. Even when you can go up stairs, avoid it as much as possible for the first weeks.
6) As Chad said - it's annoying, especially if you look relatively fit, but be somewhat selfish and *ask* for things that would cause you pain to do yourself. Of course, this is already true when herniated.

No medical background, but I have had several hernias myself, and my father's had the surgery some years back, so speaking from second-hand experience. May have evolved somewhat, given that my father's surgery was...err, 9 years ago or so?

Good luck!

 

[Chad Sexington]

I didn't think to ask where you're from, but here there's a hotline called Health Link, perhaps something similar exists in your area? It is staffed by nurses and they can answer questions about drugs/drug mixing, surgeries, etc. Good luck!

 

[Gryfter]

I have had a microdiscectomy. It was for a herniated disc and I was on nerve meds because the herniation was pressing up against the nerves in my leg causing lighting storms of pain up and down my leg. My own experience was that within a couple of days after the operation I was up and moving and back at work (also sit at a computer for my job). Full recovery from the surgery took a month or so but your mileage may vary. Stairs might be uncomfortable the first day but I will be honest, I was in constant pain for 9 months and after the operation that pain was gone so dealing with a little post surgery trauma was noting for me and I had at least a flight of stairs to do. Suckiest part for me was stopping all the nerve pain meds I was on. Now I know what withdrawals feel like.

As to PT after the procedure, no one suggested it to me and it wasn't until a year later when I started having some pain that I went back in and did the PT. Mostly core exercises but they teach you how to protect the area when you exercise so I would suggest doing the PT as soon as you feel recovered from the surgery which will still be a few months probably.

That the operation was like night and day for me. I don't know how much pain you are in but for me the herniated disc was the worst pain I have ever experienced. After the operation I was amazed at the difference. The surgery itself went off without a single hitch for me although when I woke up after it I was lying on my back and found that to be a silly way to let a patient recover from back surgery but as soon as it was clear I was awake the roll ed me on my side.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the replies and the first- and third-person anecdotes, especially Gryfter for best describing the same symptoms I have (minus the nerve meds and only 5 months so far, not 9). I guess I'm just scared, the spinal cord is rather important, mkay? It's not my bosses rushing me to return, but I think I'll go crazy(er) if I'm not working for a month or more.

I had mentioned the 'tailbone popping' sensation to my neurosurgeon and he just gave me a non-committal grunt. Maybe I can bring it up again at the pre-op appointment I recently learned has been scheduled for a week prior to the surgery. I had been under the impression I wouldn't see him again until the day of. The hospital also scheduled a call from the anesthesiologist tech and I figure I can ask about needing to stop Tylenol then. I wasn't sure if it was considered an anti-inflammatory (like Advil) or blood thinner (like aspirin).

Chad Sexington - I'm on the East Coast of the U.S. and I have access to 'confidential' health hotlines through both my work and my spouse's insurance. I posted here as a way to vent and inquire without worrying about tears from the pain/frustration/fear. (Thanks for the suggestion and thank you, Halforums!)

Dave - Luckily my spouse tends to handle most of the cooking anyway, but I can reheat up things pretty well. And while I appreciate the offer of a Netflix stream, I have an ample supply of TV shows and movies on disc to watch if I can't manage to work from home.

 

[Chad Sexington]

Thank you for the replies and the first- and third-person anecdotes, especially Gryfter for best describing the same symptoms I have (minus the nerve meds and only 5 months so far, not 9). I guess I'm just scared, the spinal cord is rather important, mkay? It's not my bosses rushing me to return, but I think I'll go crazy(er) if I'm not working for a month or more.

I had mentioned the 'tailbone popping' sensation to my neurosurgeon and he just gave me a non-committal grunt. Maybe I can bring it up again at the pre-op appointment I recently learned has been scheduled for a week prior to the surgery. I had been under the impression I wouldn't see him again until the day of. The hospital also scheduled a call from the anesthesiologist tech and I figure I can ask about needing to stop Tylenol then. I wasn't sure if it was considered an anti-inflammatory (like Advil) or blood thinner (like aspirin).

Chad Sexington - I'm on the East Coast of the U.S. and I have access to 'confidential' health hotlines through both my work and my spouse's insurance. I posted here as a way to vent and inquire without worrying about tears from the pain/frustration/fear. (Thanks for the suggestion and thank you, Halforums!)

Dave - Luckily my spouse tends to handle most of the cooking anyway, but I can reheat up things pretty well. And while I appreciate the offer of a Netflix stream, I have an ample supply of TV shows and movies on disc to watch if I can't manage to work from home.

You can do some quick research on Tylenol (acetaminophen, paracetamol) here http://www.drugs.com/acetaminophen.html
It has no anticoagulant (blood thinning) or anti-inflammatory effects. As I said, don't drink and use Tylenol. Also do not drink and drive. Tylenol and driving is probably okay, but I am not a professional.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry, Chad Sexington, I didn't mean to disregard your warning about Tylenol and alcohol, but to me it's a non-issue. I haven't found any alcohol that I can stand the taste of.

 

[Chad Sexington]

I didn't feel disregarded, I just feel it can't be said enough. I've seen some real bad outcomes.

 

[PatrThom]

I didn't feel disregarded, I just feel it can't be said enough. I've seen some real bad outcomes.

I find your comment interesting since NyQuil is practically alcohol + tylenol.

--Patrick